Sermon Leftovers

Psalm 119 is all about God's Word. While reading this chapter, you will quickly discover the author's desire to promote an ACTIVE RESPONSE to the Bible. We don't just read God's Word to increase our knowledge, every reading of Scripture should compel us to do something. Listed below are 22 of Psalm 119's prescribed responses to God's Word. Read through them and figure out which ones might aid you most in your spiritual journey: Photo by Leo Reynolds Obey God's Word Know God's Word Seek Understanding of God's Word Choose God's Word Desire God's Word Rely on God's Word Find Comfort in God's Word Remember God's Word Return to God's Word Rest in God's Word Long for God's Word Trust God's Word Meditate on God's Word Live by God's Word Depend on God's Word Value God's Word Keep God's Word Be Zealous for God's Word Prioritize God's Word Draw Life From God's Wor

“The right side of history” has become the catch phrase most often used to tell someone their opinion is “old-fashioned.” I regularly hear the warning, “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.” Similarly, a change of opinion is often recommended by someone using the expression, “We’re on the right side of history.” I understand the point. Culture is moving along a path, and the further we go, the more we realize that things we once thought were right, are not okay (and conversely, things we thought were wrong might actually be okay). People like Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot are on the wrong side of history.   Despite the success they had in their early years (and perhaps their later years as well), we look back and judge their actions as wrong. Any momentary success or glory they enjoyed has been rendered null by history. History can be an unforgiving jerk. One thing I’ve noticed, though, is that the line of demarkation which identifies the wrong/right si

Jesus said, "Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven." His point was pretty clear, there is no eternal value in doing the right things if you do them for the wrong reasons. Here are 16 ideas I have about the things we do and the reasons why we do them: Doing wrong things for wrong reasons is evil. Doing wrong things for right reasons is naive. Doing right things for wrong reasons is selfish. Doing right things for right reasons is mature. You cannot earn your way to heaven by doing right things. One wrong act in your life is enough to disqualify you from heaven. It only takes a little skunk to ruin a good burger. The only way to heaven is by accepting the life, death and resurrection of Jesus on your behalf. If you do good things to impress other people, you probably will; and that will be your reward. Impressing other people carries with it no eternal benefit. We ought t

Many years ago, the exponential growth of the internet along with an increasing disenchantment with traditional church led to the rise of the Emerging Church movement. Unfortuntely, many valid and helpful criticisms were lost when the movement was co-opted by the “Emergent” group, which turned out to be just another institution peddling religious liberalism for financial gain. In the midst of this progression, one of the questions oft-raised questions encompassed what could be called an ecclesiological ordo salutis. Essentially, the question was, “Can a person belong to the community of believers before they believe in Christ?” Or, “Must a person believe in Christ before they can be fully welcomed into the community of believers?” Many people who hold a high view of Scripture and for whom I have a degree of respect disagree on the answer to these questions. Below, I’ve linked to three pretty good articles which summarize differering viewpoints on the issue. Each are short, concis

Love is more than a feeling. It is the active demonstration of commitments made. You cannot always control your feelings. You can always control your actions (and re-actions). It’s easy to be loved and to love the people who love you. It is not easy or natural to love people who will not love you in return. It is not easy or natural to love people who are unkind to you or who seek to hurt you. The acid test of those who claim to be God’s children is how well they treat those who are difficult to love. God’s children love their enemies because God loves His enemies. God’s enemies are those who disobey Him or harm His creation. This includes everyone. This includes you. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners… For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So we can rejoice in our wonderful new relati

Matthew 5:16 says: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. We are called to light up the world. Our actions every day ought to brighten the world around us. If you're having a hard time deciding how you can brighten your world, try one of these suggestions: For no reason, order a box of chocolates for someone Double the tip for your wait-person next time you eat out Send a hand-written note to a friend who is having a hard time Pay for someone else’s gas after you pump your own Write a poem for your spouse or children Make a list for your boss of “Top Ten Things I Appreciate About You" Order pizza for your co-workers Shovel your neighbor’s driveway Buy lunch for the person ahead of you in line at your favorite fast-food place Compliment 10 people on their appearance every day for a week